Blog

It feels like TV magic is bigger than ever in the US. No, there's not really a Copperfield or Blaine who is doing one of those big annual specials. And that's unfortunate. But what's kind of amazing to me is that there's a bunch of smaller shows that are bringing in an audience to watch magic on a weekly basis. And from my understanding, show likes Penn and Teller's Fool Us, The Carbonaro Effect, and Wizard Wars have all been successes ratings-wise. One thing to note is that, inherent in the premise of all of those shows is the notion that these are tricks. In one way or another they're all celebrating the idea that it's not real. Those of you still holding onto the idea that a magician has to convince people that there is "real magic" are being left in the dust in regards to what an audience considers artistry in modern magic.

A lot of people say they don't like doing Out of This World with the full deck because it takes too long for the spectator to deal through the whole deck. If you can't keep people interested for the length of time it takes for someone to deal through a deck of cards, then perhaps entertaining people with magic isn't in your future. You might be better suited to a different hobby like... oh... say, crushing cardboard boxes to get them ready for recycling.

I wanted to thank Andy Martin for letting me steal the picture of the $14 card from Color Monte off his site. Well, I mean, I asked him after I had already done it, but he was cool with it. I follow the maxim: It's easier to ask forgiveness than ask for permission. (But beware that I did not find that to be an adequate defense in my sexual assault case.)

An easy way to fuck with people's heads is to have one of those cheap plastic money printers in your house and then, without saying anything, print out some $20s in front of someone before you go out to dinner or order food in. When you're done just say, "Don't tell anyone you saw that." To make the charade complete you need to pay for dinner.